Cannoli & Confession
by mayzee
Summary: What would have happened if Pike had not been at Lisbon's house the night Jane showed up at her door with the cannoli from Il Tavolo Bianco? Here's my (ultimately) romantic take on what may (should?) have happened that evening. A little bit of angsty fluffiness. Twoshot. Reviews, as ever, are much appreciated. Now complete!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Okay, I know I should be working on my other multichapter stories Destinies & Trust (& I will again I promise very soon!) but having rewatched Il Tavolo Biano recently I wondered what would have happened if Pike hadn't been at Lisbon's house when Jane showed up with the cannoli. **

**So, here's my (decidedly angsty but ultimately romantic) take on what may have occurred...although I warn you, it may be a little bit rambling in parts as it's a result of me taking my mind off devious plotlines while writing the last few chapters of my story Missing so it may not be entirely coherent but hope it's worth a read. Twoshot as I refuse to start yet another multichapter at this time!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own The Mentalist but hey, I can dream...**

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Cannoli & Confession

Chapter 1 - Nerves

Patrick Jane was rarely nervous; he had pushed that emotion deep inside him from an early age. It showed weakness his father had told him.

'Act confident and the world will believe every word you say, Paddy' Alex Jane had indoctrinated into him.

Mostly his father had been correct, pained as he was to admit it. More than likely because Alex Jane had never allowed himself to fall in love. He was a user and a manipulator first and foremost. Perhaps he had cared for Jane's mother once but by the point he was old enough to collect his own memories Jane had never experienced his father showing true affection for anyone, his only child included.

But what his dear old dad had failed to inform him was that nervousness could lead a man to experiencing some of life's most epiphanous moments. For him it included gaining a first date with Angela, her agreeing to his hand in marriage, the first few seconds he held his baby girl in his arms. All of these momentous occasions Jane connected with his shaky hands, equally shaky breath, racing heart and clammy hands. They had forced their way into his memory palace of their own volition and taken up pride of place there. Of course not all of the anxiety laced fragments of his life ended in the bettering of it. Opening his bedroom door after appearing on a talk show, hearing panicked breathing on the end of a phone line after the sound of gunshots, a bomb strapped to a chest, rushing into a house and seeing a red face painted over Lisbon's. Although the latter scenarios had at least ended in far less devastating effects than he first envisioned for a few brief terrifying seconds.

As he stood at Teresa Lisbon's red front door, a bag of cannoli in his hand, he caught his breath, hesitating before he tapped on its wood. As he heard a shuffle from inside he speculated if his presence this evening would result in another life changing incident. Whether he would be a winner or a loser by the end of it. As he heard the sounds of the locks being turned he planted a smile on his face, taking a deep breath just as the door opened.

Lisbon pulled the door from inside, frowning instantly when she saw him standing there, tugging her black cardigan around her as she did so to stave off the chill of the evening.

Concerned she asked, 'Jane? What are you doing here at this hour? What's up? Something with the case?'

Shaking his head he smiled again, hoping it appeared relaxed, holding up the bag in front of him, 'Cannoli courtesy of Mrs Aurelio from Il Tavolo Bianco, she made them especially.'

'That was sweet of her' Lisbon replied, but her expression revealing the real question she wanted answered. _Why are you really here?_ But she added instead, 'Come on in, Jane' opening the door fully.

* * *

As he sat on her couch he fidgeted with his fingertips as she made tea for them, an excuse to get their bearings for a few minutes alone. Both knew there was tension in the air, had been for weeks, growing between them for perhaps months ever since he'd returned from his island but exacerbated since Marcus Pike had entered their lives. Profoundly so since she'd mentioned the possibility of her leaving Austin for a life in D.C. with the aforementioned Art Crimes agent.

As she placed a mug of tea and a plate of the pastries he'd brought in front of him he asked, 'No Marcus tonight?'

Rather than call him out on the obvious conclusion she was sure he had already figured out as it was after 10.30 at night she simply answered, 'No. He's getting ready for the move to Washington. Has a lot of loose ends to tie up before the move.' She sat beside him on the couch, placing her mug to her lips.

Jane nodded in affirmation, picking up his mug and cradling his hand around it for a few moments before he took a long sip.

'Have you made your decision yet? About the move?' He asked, aiming for nonchalance, as he put the mug back on the table.

'No. Not yet' Lisbon replied guardedly, her lips in a tight line.

'I see. Interesting.'

'Why's that?' she responded, her tone insistent, clearly fed up with running in circles since she told Jane about possibly moving to another state.

He shrugged, mildly surprised at her directness but strangely comforted by it. While it had been her default setting for a decade lately she had shied away from expressing herself so fully to him. It wasn't until this instant he realised just how much he'd missed it. How much he'd missed his 'CBI' Lisbon, a more self assured and taking no prisoners version of what he'd witnessed more recently. He'd seen a glimpse of her when she had heard about Operation Jury Scam but she had clammed up when Pike appeared for their lunch date. Inwardly Jane berated him childishly for even spoiling that particular spectacle, for stopping him seeing that fire in her eyes once again.

He glanced quickly in her direction. She was once such an open book to him but now... He knew how she'd felt about him years ago even if she wanted to kill him sometimes but now...now she was the opposite of translucent.

He cleared his throat, maintaining an amiable tone. 'Well, if you do decide to go then I imagine there's a lot to do, preparation wise, that is. Lots of packing.'

He smiled, looking around her cosy living room, decorated in neutral tones tastefully. 'It's not like this place was like the one you had in Sacramento where you still had boxes in your living room three years after moving in. This place...this is undoubtedly a home. It'll take time to pack up.'

'So packing, huh? That's the reason for me to force my decision? Is that what you're saying?' She rolled her eyes, picking up a cannolo from the plate and picking at some cream from its centre with one of her fingers before licking it off absentmindedly.

Jane was quiet for a few more moments before he took a deep breath. 'Does he make you happy?' he asked quietly, looking at the mug in his hands instead of her, distracted slightly by her mouth as her tongue lapped at the cream on her fingers.

She mirrored his actions, putting the pastry down, blowing on the tea in her hands. 'Yeah, he does' she replied softly after a few seconds.

Jane nodded quickly, biting his lower lip, hiding the devastation he felt from her words.

He finally said, 'Good.' He turned his face towards her, studying her, memorising how the dim light made her green eyes appear a few shades darker than usual and illuminated the whites of her eyes. He spoke honestly, his voice hoarse with emotion. 'Because I want nothing more than for you to be happy. That's the most important thing for me, Lisbon. That you're happy.'

She nodded, tears pricking at her eyes and she looked away from his gaze. Attempting to brighten her tone she replied, 'Even if I do go to D.C. it doesn't have to mean we lose touch. We can visit each other, right? I mean, Washington, plenty of museums and Art Galleries there to keep you entertained for twenty years of visits.'

'Yeah' he said softly. 'Of course.'

She didn't want to face the notion that leaving Austin would inevitably mean the end of her friendship with Jane. She simply couldn't contemplate a future without him being part of it. The hold Patrick Jane had on her had lasted over a decade, an invisible rope that hung between them, binding them to each other, stretching on occasions over time, cities and continents but never breaking completely. Once it was taught and thick with twine and while now it was considerably weaker and frayed along its edges it was still there nonetheless. She wasn't sure if she could be the one to sever it permanently. But somewhere deep down she knew her leaving, by effectively choosing Pike over him, would separate Jane and her more than an ocean had a year ago.

But she couldn't give up on the possibility of him remaining in her life just yet if she did decide to move. 'I mean, it's not like we can't talk to each other, as much as we like. It's not like you'll be in South America where I can't get in touch with you. Used to drive me crazy sometimes when I couldn't respond to your letters.'

Jane nodded, looking at the coffee table in front of him. He asked quietly, 'What would you have written to me if you could have?'

The question caught her off guard and she thought about the answer, a line appearing between her eyes.

'Sounds like a short letter' he smirked as the silence grew.

She shot him a glare then sighed, shrugging. 'I don't know, Jane.'

He turned towards her and raised a quizzical eyebrow. 'You're still a terrible liar.'

She huffed for a moment before her shoulders drooped in acknowledgement. Shaking her head she said softly, 'I guess I would have told you how much I missed you too, like you told me. That life...that life...-'

'-Was increasingly boring without me in it?' he grinned.

Rolling her eyes she laughed. 'The one thing I know I'm not going to be with you is bored, Jane. I have to admit that if nothing else.'

'Why I think that's one of the nicest things you've ever said to me, Lisbon' he replied, smiling.

'Not being bored isn't always a good thing, Jane' she came back with immediately, her eyes dancing with amusement.

They took a moment to enjoy the closeness between them again, their ability to mentally spar with each other reignited, if only for a few precious seconds. A wave of nostalgia coursed through him and he wondered if his apparent lack of nosiness had been mistaken by her as a lack of interest the past few months. She had told him to let her live her life, to let her make her own choices. He was honouring her wishes but it seemed to be driving them further apart instead of bringing them closer.

'I really did appreciate the letters' she said softly a few seconds later before he had time to organise his thoughts coherently.

After a moment he replied, 'To be honest, I wasn't sure if I was doing the right thing, continuing to write to you for as long as I did.'

'Because it gave the FBI a way of tracking you down?'

He chuckled, shaking his head. 'No. I imagined the more I kept writing the more chance they'd find me.'

'You wanted them to find you?' she couldn't help but enquire, frowning.

'Not at all. It was just...well initially I thought that if I wrote to you a few times then it would quell the worry you might have about me running off. That it would help you come to realise I was okay, you know, coping. But once I started...well I realised how much it helped me too. Made me feel like you were still there, you know, beside me, even if it was only in the shadows.'

She was touched by his honesty, by his admission of just how much he'd missed her although he had put it in words in every letter. 'So then why are you saying you weren't sure you were doing the right thing, continuing to write to me?' she persevered.

He pursed his lips, shaking his head slightly, his eyes downcast, thinking hard about his next statement. Finally he replied, 'Because Lisbon...if I was a better man...a less selfish man I would have stopped. And so allowed you to move on with your life back then.'

She swallowed hard as she immediately understood the meaning behind his words. He had all but admitted he knew she had been in love with him before he left. It was a barely disguised secret of hers but his first acknowledgement of it to her, even if it was abstractly accomplished. She sighed loudly. 'Jane...I...if there had been a good enough reason to move on then I would have at the time. Your letters didn't stop me.'

He looked at her from the corner of his eye. 'Really? Because at times I felt guilty about perhaps holding you back-'

'Really' she interrupted, her face aflame. 'And you feel guilty about pretty much everything so what else is new, huh?' she smiled, diverting the awkwardness with a little humour.

At once he joined in to further ease the discomfort. 'So there were no hunky lumberjacks in Washington State that took your fancy, then?' he smiled.

Blushing still, she laughed. 'Not really, no.'

'But Pike is a different matter, isn't he?' he asked, serious again instantly, staring at her, studying her reaction to his question before she uttered a word in response.

She hesitated and stumbled over her words. 'I think...well...he may be' she replied truthfully.

He nodded, picking up his mug again and taking a sip. She noticed the slight tremble of his hand on the handle. 'He's a good man. I always said you deserved love in your life, Lisbon, finding a good man.'

'Don't you ever think about it?' she asked, feeling she had nothing left to lose and deciding to throw all her chips in, to find out where she stood in his life once and for all.

'Finding a good man?' he smiled, raising an eyebrow to her.

She knew he was deflecting, trying to dissipate the tension but now she wanted truth, not triviality. She shot him a look that told him she wanted a serious answer. He bit the inside of his cheek, his fingers grasping the mug a little tighter. 'You're asking if I've ever given any thought to being in a relationship again?' he asked, buying time.

She nodded. 'Well, have you?'

'I've done my best _not_ to think about it' he replied emphatically after a moment.

She blinked rapidly for a few seconds before rolling her eyes, her temper beginning to get the better of her. Why could he never just give a straight answer?

'Not the answer you wanted?' he asked, slightly amused at seeing her try to keep a hold on herself.

'Not an answer at all' she snapped back.

He sighed, placing the mug on the table in front of him. 'Okay...okay. Unfortunately, though, it's the truth.'

'But why not, Jane? Huh? Red John is gone. It's time you lived your life again. I didn't know them but do you really think they'd want you to be on your own forever?'

At this moment it ceased to be about his feelings for her and more about trying to make him live a fulfilling life. If she was going to be in D.C. then she didn't want him to continue the way he'd been living, perhaps she could convince him of that at least. She wanted him to have what she was trying to have. A life filled with more than work, even if it meant she wouldn't be a part of it.

'You're right, Lisbon. They wouldn't. And...to be honest I thought it would be different after he was gone too. I thought _I'd_ be different. Better, I guess.' He shrugged, exhaling, 'In some ways I am. I mean, at least now I can sleep most nights. Until recently anyhow. But...everything else...I was so focused on catching him for so long I don't really know what else to do with myself than keep my mind busy with work.'

A thought entered her head suddenly. Perhaps she was holding him back by remaining in Austin. Perhaps being with her, working with her every day had made him comfortable, complacent, unwilling to move his life on in a new direction. He had adjusted to his new environment by living his life as he had done at CBI, creature of habit that he was. Surrounded by her and Cho everyday he had reverted back into the man he was back then, just without the lust for revenge at the centre of it. Perhaps the best favour she could do for him was to move away, perhaps that was the impetus he needed to propel himself forward into a new start. Maybe there were women he had felt attracted to but hadn't acted upon to spare her feelings, mixed in with some guilt that he had never reciprocated them. If she wasn't there to see it he would maybe feel freer to explore that possibility, as much as the thought crushed her heart.

'No' he said quietly as these thoughts raged inside her head.

'What?' she replied, frowning as she hadn't asked a question.

'My life would not be better without you in it. Not then and not now. Not ever. That's what you were just thinking, yes? The answer is no, most decidedly, Lisbon. It simply would not.'

'I'm just thinking it might be better for you if I left. To get some space between us-'

'No' he interrupted, shaking his head. 'If you decide to go to D.C. then that's your decision. But I won't have you thinking for a moment that it helps me in any way if you go. If it makes _you_ happy, if that's what _you_ truly want, then you should go. But certainly not to help me.'

She knew they were still running around in circles, skirting around issues like they normally did, giving each other half truths and omitting the important stuff. Truth was she was no better than he was in divulging her feelings either, if she could actually figure out what they were.

'That's the problem, Jane! I don't know what the hell I want!' she suddenly yelled, pent up frustration that had been building in her suddenly released.

He pulled his head back a little at her outburst, opening his mouth in surprise. She was quiet a moment later and sank her head back on the cushions behind her, her eyes closed and shaking her head.

'I...I didn't mean to upset you, Lisbon' he said softly. 'I...-'

'Why the hell did you come here tonight?' she interjected, her eyes open and blazing again.

He glanced at the cannoli and she pushed herself forward on the couch, fingers gripping the seat cushion she sat on. Before he said a word she growled, 'Do not mention the damn cannoli. I know it wasn't because of them.' She stared into his eyes. 'The truth, Jane or god help me I'll beat it out of you.'

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 **A/N: Second and last chapter up next very soon. Thanks, hope you enjoyed, if you did please tell me!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Here's the second and last chapter. Thank you all for your lovely reviews to the first, was genuinely surprised how many of you liked it. I am thinking that some of this might be slightly OOC based on how their relationship was portrayed in season 7 but as this is set towards the end of season 6 I went for a slightly more passionate Jane & Lisbon than we got in canon. Hope you enjoy in any case! **

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_'I...I didn't mean to upset you, Lisbon' he said softly. 'I...-'_

 _'Why the hell did you come here tonight?' she interjected, her eyes open and blazing again._

 _He glanced at the cannoli and she pushed herself forward on the couch, fingers gripping the seat cushion she sat on. Before he said a word she growled, 'Do not mention the damn cannoli. I know it wasn't because of them.' She stared into his eyes. 'The truth, Jane or god help me I'll beat it out of you._

* * *

Chapter 2 - Confession

He shrugged, playing with his wedding ring. 'I wanted to see if you'd made your decision yet' he said softly.

'What else?' she prodded.

He licked his lips nervously. 'I didn't want you to think that I didn't care one way or the other. That stuff I said about not wanting you to go because you might be bored there. You know that's not the real reason I don't want you to go. You know how much I'll miss you if you do. But I meant what I said earlier though too, that I want you to be happy. And if Pike...' he took in a breath. 'If Pike makes you happy then...then I'm trying not to stand in the way of that.'

Her voice quieter she shook her head slowly. 'Really? Because your presence here tonight might suggest otherwise to a casual onlooker.'

He shrugged, sighing loudly. 'I only said I was trying, Lisbon, give me a break' he responded, half apologetically, half smiling.

She smiled faintly at him, tutting and rolling her eyes. Then she frowned, more seriously she thought about his words to her earlier, her brain telling her she had missed something at the time. The detective in her replayed the conversation in her head, automatically picking up and honing in on a seemingly unimportant detail he'd let slip.

'Jane, you said a few minutes ago that you had been sleeping until recently. Why can't you sleep now?'

A glimmer of hesitation she would never have spotted years ago coupled with a slight tremor in his facial muscles before he appeared relaxed again confirmed her suspicions she was on the right path. Casually he replied, 'I'm in insomniac, it comes and goes.' He shrugged, reaching out to put a hand to the mug on the table.

Before it ever touched the china she grabbed hold of it and pulled it towards her lap, surprising him and making him look at her in the process. She took a few seconds to control herself, to try to remain calm. 'Why do you insist on continuing to lie and keep things from me?' she asked him gently, her face searching his for the truth, her grip on his hand solid, afraid he might flee if it weren't.

She felt a tug on it and grasped it tighter. 'No, Jane. No running away. Not this time. Why can't you sleep properly again? And I don't want to hear any cracks about lumpy beds.'

After a moment his hand in hers relaxed as his shoulders sagged, defeat in his eyes as he stared back at her. He looked to the ceiling for a moment before setting his gaze back on her again, his voice cracking as he spoke, 'Because Lisbon every time I close my eyes to go to sleep...I realise it's the beginning of another night that heralds the start of another day where you might be a step further away from me. I can feel it, like a timer ticking down. And if...if I don't sleep then maybe it'll stretch the time I have with you. That somehow it'll slow down the countdown on the clock. That...that we'll have more time together.'

He laughed softly, tears in his eyes. 'I realise that probably makes absolutely no sense. Blame sleep deprivation for my ramblings.'

She continued to stare into his eyes, her breath catching in her throat. Rarely if ever had she seen him so raw and exposed and her heart hammered in her chest. 'That doesn't mean the clock isn't going to stop someday though, Jane' she said finally, willing her voice to stay strong.

He read between the lines instantly. She wanted a declaration of some sort from him, something that would make her think twice about leaving. She was giving him a final chance to make a difference, to change their futures before it was too late.

Although his heart beat wildly, now he was on this path he wanted her to know everything and his walls caved in of their own accord. He hadn't felt this emotionally naked in years. 'I told you earlier that I've done my best not thinking about being in another relationship. It's the truth. I've done my best not thinking about it.'

He shook his head slowly, his gaze intensifying, wanting nothing more than for her to see the truth behind his eyes. 'But that doesn't mean I haven't, Teresa.'

He stopped for a second as he felt the pulse in her wrist race at his words as they continued to hold hands. Buoyed on slightly he spoke a little quicker, a little louder. 'I've thought about it. Lately I've thought about not much else. But the truth is I'm terrified. Terrified of allowing someone get close to me again. Of someone knowing the real me without the pretence and the show.'

He gave her a lopsided grin, allowing his words to sink in. 'But, you know what I've recently realised?' He squeezed her hand. 'I already have that in my life. I'm now just terrified of losing it.'

Once upon a time those words would have been enough for her to change the direction of her life. Now she wanted more from him. Hell, she deserved more. And if Jane wasn't going to offer her that then her future might be better spent with a man who could. 'Jane, that's lovely' she whispered. 'But I...I need more than just a friend. I need...more than that in my life.'

He nodded and sniffed, clearing his head, thinking with more clarity than he had in years. 'I know you do. And you deserve more than that. Much more. What if I...what if I could offer you more? Would that be something you'd be interested in?'

Her heart raced but she needed to think with her head first and not her heart. 'Why?'

Frowning, 'Why? Why what?'

'Why are you willing to offer me more than friendship now when you haven't before? Why is now different? Is it because I'm thinking of leaving? Is it just to get me to stay?'

He puffed put a breath. 'Jeez, you're hard work, woman.'

'I deserve an answer' she replied, defiance in her tone.

He smiled and nodded. 'Yeah, I guess you do. Okay. You're right to a certain extent. You leaving...the possibility of it has made me reassess our relationship I suppose. Made me realise that...' He hesitated, biting his lip.

'What, Jane?'

He mentally prepared himself for a slap. 'It made me realise that you have options. Where other men are concerned. That some might and...well do...find you attractive-'

'Gee, thanks for the compliment' she replied tersely, rolling her eyes. 'And here I was thinking I should be walking around with a bag over my head for years.'

'Teresa, you know I'm not saying you're not attractive. Of course you are. You're absolutely beautiful. You don't need me to tell you that. But...well the difference is you never really took much interest in anyone over the years, no one serious at least. Instead you seemed...kind of...well-'

'For Pete's sake, Jane, just spit it out.'

He puffed out a breath. 'Well, frankly, you were always a little too hung up on me to allow anyone else become close to you.'

Her cheeks reddened immediately of their own accord at his words. She had wanted honesty from him but was surprised at his sudden bluntness in cataloguing her feelings for him.

Before she replied he shrugged, 'I'm sorry Lisbon but...well it's the truth, isn't it? That's what you wanted from me, right? Or at least it was the truth back then. Now? Now, I'm not so sure anymore.'

She gaped before she took control of herself, ignoring his question and going immediately on the defensive instead, her voice growing stronger as she ranted. 'I see, so you're jealous? Is that it? Because I'm interested in someone else's attention and not vying for yours any longer? Someone's playing with your toy and you don't like it? Well, why shouldn't I, Jane? Tell me that. What do you expect, huh? For me to sit in a damn collector's box on a shelf collecting dust for years wondering if you're ever actually going to grow a pair and take me out of the box and play with me?! And another thing-'

Her words were cut off by Jane grunting, 'Oh for god's sake, woman' and his lips suddenly finding hers, passion and heat radiating from him as he pulled her towards him urgently, deepening the kiss quickly, his tongue demanding entrance to her mouth, his hands on the sides of her face, keeping her in place. When she gasped in shock at his unexpected and somewhat frenzied attack he darted his tongue into her mouth immediately, groaning as he tasted her for the first time, eliciting a shiver up her spine and a moan in response. Once her brain had caught up with her mouth she realised she was kissing him back fervently, her tongue dancing with his, dragging him with her to the back of the couch with her hands fisted tightly to his shirt, closing the distance between them further.

When they eventually required oxygen they released their hold on each other slightly but their hands stayed in place, breaths panting as they stared at each other, pupils dark and dilated. Both seemed unsure if the other one was going to flee so remained where they were for seconds, their eyes still fixed to each other, their ragged breaths the only sounds filling the room. As their breathing returned to normal he kissed her again, slowly, tenderly, less unreserved fieriness and more sweet and loving. When he released her lips for a second time she swallowed and in turn released her hands from his shirt, smoothing the fabric down as she did so in an unconscious nervous gesture. He removed his hands from her face, brushing her cheeks with his thumbs slowly as he did so, reluctant to break contact. A smile crept across his face as he pulled her up from the back of the couch to sit beside him again on its edge and he took in and released a large breath, as if a weight had suddenly been lifted from his shoulders. Lisbon shook her head slightly, a small smile on her lips as she found herself sitting beside him again in an open mouthed daze, his hand back in hers again.

After a second he laughed softly, a little nervousness in his tone, more colour in his cheeks. 'That was not how I expected our first kiss to go' he said, shaking his head.

She raised a quizzical eyebrow, finally gaining control of her speech again. 'You and me both.'

They laughed together, a little embarrassed by the sudden change in the status of their relationship.

'What the hell was that?' Lisbon asked, unadulterated affection in her tone. 'I've never had anyone move on me so fast.'

'Are you complaining?' he smirked.

'Not at all' she grinned, 'Just curious.'

Jane laughed, 'I suppose it was me being released from my box. I've been gathering dust for pretty much over a decade myself, you know, Lisbon.' He tilted his head from side to side. 'Also it seemed the most obvious solution to stop you from rambling on any longer. Your voice was getting a little too high pitched for my liking; I'm surprised we don't have dogs howling at your front door.'

She attempted to shoot him a glare but her mouth twitched into a smile instead. Soon she joined in his laughter, new found giddiness taking place of awkwardness.

He continued, grinning, 'In fact I'd very much like to play with you a little more if that's okay with you but I think we should finish our discussion first, don't you?'

'Okay' Lisbon replied, taking a deep breath, 'What the hell were we talking about again?'

Jane frowned, the taste of her lips still on his distracting him from thinking straight momentarily. 'Um...right...You were accusing me of being jealous, of trying to stop you because I didn't want you to leave me. I think you were implying that I may not have any truly passionate or lustful thoughts about you myself.'

He raised an eyebrow at the end of the sentence and she looked at him sideways, her eyes attracted to his lips immediately, still moist and slightly swollen. She looked away quickly, shrugging. 'Oh right, yeah...that' she said quietly, her heart fluttering as she recalled the desire in his eyes for her just moments before.

'So?' he enquired after she was silent for a moment.

'So what?' she replied coyly, hearing his tone tinged with some anxiety from her silence.

He rolled his eyes. 'Stop messing with me, Lisbon. Have I convinced you that my interest in you is certainly not platonic or do I need to prove myself to you again?'

She smiled, gaining confidence, her heart soaring. 'Depends. What exactly do you have in mind?'

He saw a twinkle in her eye and her cheeks redden. He smiled back, more self-assuredly, and slowly put a hand to cup her cheek, brushing it with his thumb as he pulled her towards him. He bent down, lightly touching her lips with his, raining short closed mouth kisses on them.

'Enough yet?' he grinned.

'Nope' she replied, taking his face in her hands and kissing him back with more ardour. After she released him she added, 'I think I need to revise my statement from earlier. I definitely know what I want now.' Her voice was low and she kissed his lips quickly again.

'You do?' he laughed, pecking her back.

'Mmm. Lots more of this.' She paused between kisses. 'With you' she murmured, kissing his neck and chuckling as she felt the pulse there race as her tongue lingered over it.

He cursed under his breath, his hold on her tightening. He closed his eyes as she continued her sweet assault to his earlobe. 'God, I'm an idiot' he whispered, almost to himself.

'I've been telling you that for years' she responded immediately, lifting her lips only a fraction away from his ear. Her hot breath on it almost made him lose any aspect of higher brain function. He was woefully out of practice at being seduced.

'I could have had this months ago' he breathed, as she pushed him back on the couch, her lips covering his jawline.

'I know. Me too. Guess we're both idiots' she replied, throwing a leg over his.

'Teresa?'

'Mmm?' One of her hands had woven its way under his shirt and was gently caressing his stomach. Now he knew why dogs loved this sensation so much. He would certainly follow any command she gave him at this instant, be it begging or fetching a newspaper. Although he conjectured playing dead might cause him some trouble.

'I have to say something to you' he finally managed to declare, his voice raw.

'Who's stopping you?' she replied, as her fingers began to undo a button on his shirt before she captured his lips again.

He smiled into the kiss, intensifying it, one hand running through her hair as the other travelled under the edge of the top she wore, softly stroking the small of her back. It had never felt so good under his fingers and he revelled in the softness of her skin. He couldn't wait to touch and kiss every millimetre of her, to count every freckle, to make her come alive, to wake up beside her. She shuddered as he continued moving his fingers deftly across her back before he broke from their kiss to speak, putting a finger up to her lips before she attacked his again. He was aware if he didn't say what he had to say now then chances were it would be hours until he was capable of much more than grunts and one to two word expressions of sheer joy, most probably accentuated with the word 'Oh'. Or at least he hoped it would be. Truth was he wasn't sure how long his biofeedback could hold out under her expert attention.

He brushed a strand of hair away from her face and smiled at her in awe, looking deep in her eyes. He paused for a few seconds to make sure her attention was focused on his next words. 'I just wanted to say that just in case it's not blatantly obvious by now, I'm in love with you, Teresa Lisbon.'

She answered his words in another searing kiss.

\- THE END -

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks again for all your lovely comments. Had a lot of fun writing this so I may do a few more one/two shots like this from earlier episodes of the show. I didn't start writing any fanfiction (or anything at all in fact and wasn't even aware FF existed, hard that is to believe as it has now taken over my life!) until after the end of season 6 so I have a few more ideas for 'what if' and episode tags. Hope you look out for them.**


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